Zimmerman Declines to Testify in Murder Trial

"Mr. Zimmerman, please stand up. I remind you sir that you are still under oath from when we had you sworn in earlier before the break. Did you now have sufficient time to discuss with your attorneys whether or not you want to testify in this case?"

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"I don't need to know what was said, but after those discussions have you made a decision?"

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"And what was your decision sir?"

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"After consulting with counsel, not to testify your honor."

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"You understand that no matter what counsel says to you, it is still your decision. You understand that?"

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"Ok. And I need to know is it your decision to not testify in this case?"

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"And are you making that decision freely and voluntarily?"

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"Has anybody promised you anything to get you to make that decision?"

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"No, your honor."

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"Has anybody threatened you?"

16. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"No, your honor."

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"It is clearly the decision that you, yourself have made?"

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Zimmerman, defendant:

"Yes, your honor."

19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Judge Debra Nelson:

"Thank you very much."

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Guy, Prosecutor:

"If the defendant started to sit up and Trayvon Martin was getting up, are you saying there couldn't be a 90 degree angle?"

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Root, public safety consultant:

"Am I saying there couldn't be a 90 degree angle? With him in a half up position? And you trying to get up? If the bodies become in line ... In order, my understanding, to maintain the entry, we're going to have to maintain some relativity between the two persons. Right? So the relativity. I can sit here and say the same thing, that if I am laying here completely back and your more forward, I can get a 90 degree entry. If we are both coming up, you are asking me to bring up a conclusion could it happen that way. The answer is absolutely yes if he's getting up and he's getting up together, sure there is no way I can sit here and say no you couldn't have two people who are maintaining alignment and not have that entry."

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Guy, Prosecutor:

"You were also provided the firearms report, right? And you learned that it was a contact wound, with the clothing that Trayvon Martin had on?"

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Root, public safety consultant:

"Yes, sir. The clothing."

24. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Guy, Prosecutor:

"But it wasn't a contact wound with his chest?"

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Root, public safety consultant:

"Correct."

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Guy, Prosecutor:

"So, that would be consistent with Trayvon Martin leaning over when he got shot?"

27. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Root, public safety consultant:

"Yes, sir. Sure."

STORYLINE:

After taking less than a week to call 18 witnesses, George Zimmerman's defense attorneys rested their case Wednesday in the neighborhood watch volunteer's second-degree murder trial.

Following rebuttal witnesses, prosecutors and defense attorneys will then work out the jury instructions before presenting closing arguments.

The judge then sends the case to six jurors.

Zimmerman never testified, but jurors saw repeated video recordings of Zimmerman telling his side of the story to police investigators.

The defense started its case last Friday, and it presented half as many witnesses in half of the time that prosecutors did.

During the four days they presented their case, defense attorneys called Zimmerman's friends, parents and uncle to testify that it is Zimmerman screaming for help on a 911 call that captured sounds of the fatal fight.

Martin's mother and brother had testified for the prosecution that it's Martin yelling for help.

Convincing the jury of who was screaming for help on the 911 tape has become the primary goal of prosecutors and defense attorneys because it would help jurors evaluate Zimmerman's self-defense claim.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and says he shot an unarmed Martin in self-defense during a scuffle in the townhome complex where he lived in February 2012.

Martin was there visiting his father and his father's fiancee. Some civil rights activists argued that the initial delay in charging Zimmerman was influenced by Martin's race. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic. The 44-day delay in Zimmerman's arrest led to protests around the nation.

Earlier Wednesday, defense attorneys called public safety consultant Dennis Root to testify that Martin was in better physical shape than Zimmerman, and that the neighborhood watch volunteer wasn't any athlete.

During cross-examination of Root, prosecutor John Guy used a life-sized foam mannequin in front of the jury to simulate the body positions of Zimmerman and Martin at the time of the shooting.

Straddling the dummy, Guy proposed a scenario in which Martin was on top of Zimmerman and asked Root if it was possible that Martin was backing away from Zimmerman at the time of the fatal gunshot.

"Yes," Root said.

Using the same mannequin during further questioning of Root, defense attorney Mark O'Mara challenged the notion of Martin retreating.

Root said that while multiple gun angles were possible, he had no specific information to say what position Martin was in when he was shot.